Hayloft Hanging Hazard
Location: Athol, Idaho Date: March 1, 1993 Story On the night of March 1, 1993 in Athol, Idaho, Dave Swanson and his two children, ten-year-old Attaya and five-year-old Mark, went out to the family barn to feed the animals and he allowed them to swing on the rope. They took turns doing so while Dave fed the horses some hay. He told them that he would be back in a minute because he needed to get some wood. "We've always lived out in the country and had ropes hanging on trees. Kids love to swing," remembers Dave. Dave and his wife, Vivian, were in the house watching television when Mark came running in and told them that Attaya was hanging on the rope. "It just kind of went over my head and I turned back to the TV for a darn split second and then I knew what he had said," said Vivian. Dave ran out screaming out Attaya's name and got no response. He then discovered her hanging by her neck on the rope. Vivian called 911, told the dispatcher that her daughter accidentally hung herself, and was very hysterical. Finally, Dave was able to get her loose and checked for a pulse. "I didn't know if she was alive or dead," said Dave. She had a pulse but was not breathing and Dave started CPR. "I was scared thinking she was not going to be around anymore," said Mark. Vivian ran into the barn and asked Dave how Attaya was. He said that she was almost dead. "Apparently, she hung herself and it caused her to vomit. A couple minutes later she is half dead," said Dave. Within five minutes of the call, the Athol quick response unit arrived including EMT Shane Baldwin. "When we arrived, we were met by the mother who was extremely hysterical. The father already had the little girl down and it scared the hell out of me," said Shane. EMT Debbie Plainly helped treat Attaya. "The father was really upset. He was afraid that when he took her down, he made her neck worse. And we kept telling him, 'No, you did everything right,'" said Debbie. Attaya's blood pressure and respiration was down and she was quickly loaded into the ambulance. Attaya was transferred by Heart Flight helicopter from the local hospital to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Sacred Heart Medical Center where Dr. Daniel Brudacoe took over her care. "When we received Attaya, she was in critical condition and completely unresponsive. The most difficult thing for me to do was to talk to her parents and tell them that she may or may not survive," said Dr. Brudacoe. At 6:30 am the next morning, Dr. Brudacoe told Dave and Vivian to hold Attaya's hand and talk to her because she could hear them. "She had tubes all over her. But Dave and I took turns talking to her. At this point, we knew that she was alive, but we didn't know if she was going to live for the rest of her life," said Vivian. "I was sad because Attaya was in the hospital and I wanted her to come home. Sometimes we fight a lot, but I still love her," said Mark. Attaya opened her eyes, looked at her mother, and nodded her head. Attaya was released after four days in the hospital without any sign of permanent injuries. "I still do all the things that I used to do. But I'm more careful than I used to be. When I went back to school, my teacher had made me a cake and the kids were really thankful that I'm still alive," said Attaya. Since the incident, Dave and Vivian cut off the rope and put a new swing in the barn. "I love to ride horses. When I grow up, I want to be a veterinarian," said Attaya. Category:1993 Category:Idaho Category:Hangings